Ghana President John Mahama sack Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo

Ghana president John Mahama don sack di kontri Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo wit immediate effect.

Dis na afta a five-member committee recommend say make dem remove her from office sake of "stated misbehaviour", according to Article 146(1) of di kontri constitution.

Di same constitution for Article 146(9) tok say di president gat to act on di recommendation of dis committee wey chook eye for di petitions against di Chief Justice and oda public officers for di level of commissioners.

She chop accuse among oda tins say she sponsor her husband and daughter for vacation wit public money.

Di committee tok say "di chief justice cause di judicial service to pay travel expenses for her husband and daughter during private holiday trips for 2023, including per diem allowances."

Di report conclude say dis na "avoidable and reckless dissipation of public funds."

Dem also tok say she try to influence di former president to appoint five judges of her choice to di supreme court without due process.

"Di chief justice bin try to bypass di established process for nominating justices of di Supreme court, contrary to di precedent wey di Ghana Bar Association case."

Di committee find say dis bin amount to "misbehaviour."

Anoda tin di committee find be say di 62-year-old Chief Justice bin abuse discretionary powers.

"Di way Justice Gertrude Torkornoo bin handle one case wia she transfer one staff of di judicial service, contrary to Article 296 (a) and (b) of di constitution."

But di sacked CJ for press conference on 25 June 2025, deny all di allegations against her wey she accuse di committee say dem abuse her rights during di investigation process.

President Mahama bin set up di committee afta pipo submit at least three petitions to im office for di removal of di Chief Justice sake of dem say she abuse her office wey she no conduct herself well.

Im also bin sign di warrant to suspend di chief Justice according to di constitution as di committee begin to investigate her.

Di chief justice Gertrude Torkornoo bin go di Supreme court to stop di committee from investigating her.

But di supreme court and high court bin throway all her suits and those from some lawmakers of di opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) wey bin challenge di process; di courts tok say di president bin go thru due process for dis mata.

Justice Torkornoo also bin carry di mata go di Ecowas community court for Nigeria to enforce her human rights.

Four months afta di president set up di committee on 22 April, dem don present dia report.

Chairman of di committee wey be supreme court judge – Justice Gabriel Pwamang tok say "we don do our work in-camera (behind closed doors) in line wit Article 146(7) and (8) wey we bin stay away from public commentary on top dis mata even tho pipo dey tell plenty lies about our work."

"For di first petition wey oga Daniel Ofori don submit , we invite 13 witnesses on behalf of di petitioner. Di suspended chief justice also bin testify wey we don cross-examine her. She also call 12 witnesses for di committee"

Justice Pwamang as im dey submit di report to di president also tok say "we receive 10,000 pages of document from both sides; each side bin get four lawyers wey represent dem."

"Afta we don chook eye for all dis document togeda wit di evidence against di constitution and relevant laws, we don arrive for one recommendation without fear or favour on dis first petition."

Im add say "di second petitioner and di suspended chief Justice bin ask say make we adjourn di mata, wey we grant dat request. We go report for di second and third petition in due time."

For 2024, di sacked chief justice bin survive one attempt to remove her afta di president at di time, Nana Akufo-Addo dismiss one petition against her by one law professor.

Di president at di time tok say di allegations no dey enough to remove di chief justice.

Reaction to di sacking of di Chief Justice

One of di lawyers for di sacked Chief Justice Oga Nii Ayikoi Otoo don dismiss di grounds for di removal of Gertrude Torkornoo wey im inisist say "no evidence of wrongdoing bin dey justify her dismissal."

Nii Ayikoi Otoo tok local network JoyNews say on di mata of per diem wey she pay to her daughter and husband for dia vacation trips, "dis na entitlement inside di condition of service policy for di Cj, wia di CJ no dey in charge of allocating di moni."

"Wetin be di wrong tin she do for hia to go on her usual vacation wey di judicial secretary and di finance pipo work on di travels and give di CJ wetin she deserve for di trip, how she abuse state resources?".

Meanwhile former deputy Attorney General under di previous govment Alfred Tuah-Yeboah say im make sad but im neva dey surprised.

"Dis na bad precedent, e get far-reaching consequences for di judiciary."

Oga Tuah-Yeboah tok local media network Joynews say "any future chief Justice gat to fear for dia office wit di way dis mata bin end."

"Di fear be say dem fit sack any oda chief Justice in future on any flimsy petition, dis threshold be too low, e go make am easy to sack any future chief Justice."

Meanwhile oda sabi pipo tok say di decision bin dey expected.

Former director of di Ghana school of law Kwaku Ansa-Asare tok say from di beginning, im sabi say dem go sack di CJ.

"From di begining, we don tok am say di president don follow di law; wey di committee investigate di case, dem bin hear all sides."

Im add say "di chief Justice herself no help her matter for di way she don interfere wit di process wey she bin hold press conference to speak about di case wia dem bin dey hear behind closed doors."

Oga Ansa-Asare maintain say "we gat to praise di president say im follow due process."

Acting Chief Justice of Ghana - who e be?

Afta dem suspend di chief Justice on 22 April 2025, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie become di acting Chief Justice.

Dis na sake of im be di most senior Justice of di Supreme Court.

Since 22 April, im bin dey in charge of di judiciary, na so im dey continue as chief justice until di president go appoint anoda pesin for dat role.

Dem born Justice Baffoe-Bonnie on 26 December 1956 wia im get ova 30 years service to di judiciary

Bifor im reach di Supreme Court bench for 2008, im serve as Justice of di court of appeal, high court judge and circuit court judge.

Bifor im become judge, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie bin work as principal inspector of taxes and head of legal for di Eastern and Volta regions of di Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Bifor dat, im bin serve for di Ghana prisons service wia im rise to become deputy superintendent of prisons and head of legal for di prisons headquarters.

Within di judicial system, dem bin respect di acting chief Justice say im sabi constitutional law, taxation, prison administration, election law and legal education.

Im be chairperson for di disciplinary committee of di general legal council, di election management committee of di judicial service and di finance committee of di judicial service.